“Objection! She is badgering – correction – dragoning the witness,” lawyer Laurie Jones said about Smaug, played by Dalhousie law professor Diana Ginn.

In the end, the jury favoured Bilbo and his team won the night.

The annual literary moot is one of the biggest nights of the year for Halifax Humanities 101. The organization provides all reading materials and guidance from university professors, at no cost to those living below the poverty line.

“We are an entirely fundraised organization,” said Mary Lu Redden, director of the group.

The literary trial uses a novel from the Halifax Humanities 101 curriculum. Past trials have been based on Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein.

“I think that teaching the humanities to anyone who wants to learn regardless of privilege is a wonderful cause. Deep human thought should not just be for the privileged,” said Wood.